Outgoing House District 1 representative Dan Ortiz and former Borough Assembly Member Jeremy Bynum could be playing a political game of musical chairs. The Borough announced Thursday that Ortiz applied for the assembly seat vacated by Bynum, his legislative successor.
Ortiz, an independent, served as southern Southeast Alaska’s representative in the state House for nearly a decade but he withdrew from his race for reelection earlier this year citing health concerns and wanting to spend more time with family.
Bynum ended up winning the race to replace Ortiz and resigned from the Borough Assembly in early December. The Borough now has to vote and appoint someone to fill the vacancy from a pool of applicants to serve until next year’s regular municipal elections.
Ortiz is a former Ketchikan High School teacher and coach. He said the main reason he wants to join the Assembly is to be an advocate for education.
“I feel like I’m pretty well positioned to be an advocate for the community with the state on issues like that,” Ortiz said over the phone. “I see the problem right now being that there’s no lack of support from the Borough – they’re funding to the cap – it’s just the State has to do a better job of living up to its constitutional requirement of providing for adequate funding for education. I mean, this shouldn’t be a debate. It’s automatic. It’s right there.”
He said he also wants to continue to support the Alaska Marine Highway System, just from a municipal level.
“In general, the economy of Ketchikan is something that I spent a lot of time trying to work to develop as a state representative, and I just wanted to continue in those efforts as best I can, from being able to serve on the assembly,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz is joining two others vying for the seat – former three-term assembly member Alan Bailey and Borough Planning Committee member Robb Arnold.
The application deadline is Dec. 30. The assembly expects to make a decision at its first regular meeting in January.
